Banning Maalik unfair for the nation, says Azeem

Speaking in a press conference at Karachi Press Club, Ashir Azeem said that his film did not target anyone. He went on to say that the movie highlights issues such as corruption and the attitude of the leaders, which angers the nation.

Maalik’s producer said that the movie was banned because “someone” did not like it whereas the film was released after all the formalities of the sensor board were completed.

He said the ban on the film has been challenged in court.

The federal government on Wednesday withdrew the censor certificate of Ashir Azeem’s directorial debut ‘Maalik’ and banned the flick from screening.

The Ministry of Information issued a notification cancelling the censor certification of the movie based on corruption. With issuance of the notification, the screening of Maalik was stopped at movie theatres countrywide.

The ban was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) with the petitioner urging the court to lift the ban as there was nothing anti-state in the movie and it only highlighted corruption in the society. The petition also stated that the ban was a violation of the people’s right to entertainment and information.

LHC asked the federal government and the censor board to provide explanations and the reason for the ban on the film, the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) issued a statement saying that the objections to the film were raised by the viewers themselves.